Single serving beverage dispensing machines are very popular for providing a fresh tasting beverage in a short period of time without having to produce multiple servings. Single serving beverages are produced in beverage dispensing machines using beverage cartridges containing products such as coffee grinds, tea leaves or other soluble products.
When operating a beverage dispensing machine of this sort, a user typically loads a new cartridge into a cartridge holder located in, for example, a slide mechanism and slides the mechanism into place for brewing. Once in place, the beverage making process begins by injection of a hot or cold liquid under pressure into the cartridge, through the beverage product, and out of the cartridge into a cup or mug. While such beverage dispensing machines provide a brewed beverage in a relatively short period of time, it is still desirable to reduce that period of time to reduce waiting time and user frustration.
Referring in particular to coffee, the quality of product from such beverage brewing machines is generally considered poor by comparison to drip brewed coffee. Unfortunately, selection of higher quality coffee beans only partly addresses this problem as the brewing process itself contributes to the poor quality of coffee produced.
One of the problems is attributed to the brewing time for such brewing machines, which is often greater than 31 seconds and sometimes up in the range of 40 to 45 seconds for delivery of 10 Oz of liquid. This is a long brew time for the volume of water delivered and the volume of coffee grinds in the cartridge, causing over extraction of the coffee grinds and resulting in a bitter taste.
While brew time is one important factor, other important factors include the water pressure and control of the quantity of water delivered to the cartridge as an incorrect amount of water also negatively affects the coffee produced.
It is therefore desirable to reduce the brewing time while consistently dispensing a controlled amount of liquid at a desired pressure to the cartridge.